MISSIONARY SURVEYS 


A SERIES OF PAMPHLETS DESCRIBING 
THE VARIOUS MISSION FIELDS OF THE 
AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 


NUMBER 4 SOUTH INDIA 


THE TELUGU MISSION 


1. A People Without a Country 


HE Telugus are one of the most ancient races‘of 


India, but now they have no country called by their 

ownname. They occupy a territory in South India 

somewhat larger than New England in area, and ex- 

tending from a point near Madras northward a dis- 

tance of 700 miles. In population they number 
about 20,000,000. “If that man had a white face, he would 
be the image of my father,’ exclaimed one of our mission- 
aries after meeting a certain Telugu. Their skin is very 
dark but their features are strikingly Caucasian. They live 
in a region often visited by famine and many of them are 
very poor. The fact that they have been taught for ages by 
the Brahmans that it is perfectly respectable to beg and to 
live by one’s merits has not encouraged honest labor! They 
are a dependent people and rightly called a ‘‘nation of 
children.” 


2. Hinduism’ 


The religion of most of the Telugus is Hinduism. Its 
idolatry is bewildering, claiming to recognize 330,000,000 
‘gods, whose images are hideous and revolting. The cruelties 


of the system tend to destroy all human feeling. It is in- 
expressibly vile and degrading, yet from among these idol- ' 
aters God has claimed a people for himself. Paul might say 
to the Telugu Christians as he did to the Corinthians, ‘‘And 
such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sancti- - 
fied, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.” _ 


3. The Story of the ‘‘Lone Star”’ 


In 1835 Rev. Amos Sutton, an English Baptist missionary 
of Orissa, was in this country and spoke before the Triennial 
Convention at Richmond. His earnest appeal to American 
Baptists to establish a mission among the Telugus received a 
favorable response. Rev. Samuel Day, the first missionary 
who was sent out, settled at Nellore, which for 26 years was 
the only station of the mission. 


The Weary Waiting 


The Telugus did not receive the gospel readily. Year 
after year went by, and scarcely a convert was gained. Of 
the little church of seven members in 1846, only two were 
Telugus, and Mr. Day was compelled to leave them and come 
to America on account of illness. A wonderful thing in the 
story of this mission is the way the missionaries loved the 
Telugus ‘‘while they were yet sinners.” ‘Do not give up 
the mission,’ pleaded Mr. Day, ‘‘but give me a man to 
return with me’’; and in response Lyman Jewett went with 
him in 1848. 


The ‘‘Lone Star’’ 


But those at home had not the faith of those on the field. 
A deputation from America, which visited Nellore, found such 
meager results that they were inclined to consider discon- 
tinuing the mission. The question came up for decision at 
Albany in 1853. One speaker said, pointing to a map where 
the stations were marked by stars, ‘‘There are many to care 
for the brilliant constellation in Burma, but who will care 
for the lone star of Nellore?’’ That phrase stirred the faith 
and poetic vision of Samuel F. Smith, and that night he 
wrote the hymn ‘Lone Star”: 


Shine on, ‘‘Lone Star,’”’ thy radiance bright 
Shall spread o’er all the eastern sky. 


It was then decided to reenforce the Telugu Mission. 


Prayer Meeting Hill 


Wonderful was the faith of those laborers! In 1854 Mr. 
Jewett and his wife visited Ongole with some native helpers, 
Upon the hill above the town they knelt in prayer. “‘ Julia,” 
said Mr. Jewett to his Bible woman, pointing to a spot near 
by, ‘‘would not that be a good place for a mission house?’”’ 
In 1861 a house on that very place came into Mr. Jewett’s 
possession, and Dr. Clough lived there when, later, he went 
to Ongole. Still the mission did not prosper, and in 1862 
it was again proposed to abandon it. Mr. Jewett, then in 
this country, said that he would never abandon the Telugus, 
but would return and die there. ‘‘Well then,” said the Sec- 
retary, ‘‘we must send somebody with you, to give you 
Christian burial.’”’ Rev. John E. Clough was appointed in 
1864 and returned with Mr. Jewett. 


“Ye See Your Calling”’ 


Mr. Clough remained a short time in Nellore, but his par- 
ticular destination was Ongole. There he organized the 
little church on January 1, 1876, with eight members. At 
first the caste people showed much interest, but they said, 
“Tf the outcastes are received, we must go away.” A crisis 
was at hand, but in a providential manner the attention of the 
missionary was called to the words of Paul, ‘‘Ye see your 
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, 
not many mighty, not many noble are called”; and so he 
decided to preach to all who would listen, regardless of class. 


The Great Ingathering 


In 1875 came the beginning of the great ingathering of the 
Telugus and the gospel seed which had been sown faithfully 
for so many years began to bear fruit. In 1876 a great famine 
fell upon the land which caused untold suffering among these 
people. When the famine was over, Dr. Clough discovered 
that there were actually thousands of converts who were 
ready to be baptized, and on July 3, 1878, 2,222 were bap- 
tized in the Gundlakamma River. Large numbers of bap- 
tisms continued every year until 1890, when another great 
revival occurred. On December 28, 1890, 1,671 converts 
were baptized at Ongole, and nearly 10,000 altogether in 
various parts of the field in five months. 


4. Changing Attitude of the Caste People 


The people of the great Sudra caste, the middle class, are 
showing remarkable friendliness in many places, not only 
towards the missionaries but also towards the hitherto de- 
spised native Christians. At several stations Sudras are openly 
becoming disciples and entering the churches, while large num- 
bers have privately acknowledged themselves Christians, 
but fear to break their caste relationships. Even the Brah- 
mans in several places are laying aside their supercilious air of 
superiority and are showing respect and friendliness to the 
Christians. Large ingatherings from the caste peoples 
may be expected before long. 


5. Development 


The large ingatherings have necessitated careful division 
of the field, the opening of many new stations and the sending 
of a large number of missionaries. Educational, industrial 
and medical work have been the natural outgrowth of the 
great harvest. The Ramapatnam Theological Seminary 
and the high schools are doing a great work among our young 
people, while schools of lower grades for both boys and girls 
are laying broad foundations. Industrial work is yet in the 
experimental stage, and ways and means for promoting self- 
support call for much prayerful consideration. That they 
in their poverty support a home mission society and a foreign 
mission in Natal, is inspiring to us, and proves how God 
has rewarded the faith of the early missionaries and the 
efforts of those laboring there in later years. 


South India Literature 


Appeal of India eee ye eae ae AS Pra - afar 2) ePrice oS 240 
Clough, John E., Nesnars to ihe ehiariSt Reha By 1 Ae pol or vos ar .10 
India Awakening . ...... PRO POI RED Sos ac Wee 
Missions in South India. An eteoncat deeteh. Ne fe. ob: 48 stn ICR mh 
Social Chiastianireyams tne Omenty.. 9 a.) 4 ue) lew veer! a caliureee 1.50 
South Indias Missionary Ourveys... csp een a Se. 0) ck eee .O1 
GinderBook: Gel iet) anew er Cems wee ke OPE PRE NA ee a eae .29 


Catalog giving list of general literature on South India free. Annual 
report of Society free on receipt of 10 cents to cover postage. 


177-2M-6-18-1919 


